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What is a junior firefighter? Juniors are a very important part of our organization. Here at Manheim, we allow high school students to join at the age of 16, with parents' permission. Imagining your teenager running into burning buildings and hanging from the roof by a rope? Sorry, that doesn't happen. Juniors are limited to what actions they can perform due to labor laws and their lack of fire service training. The junior program is one designed to start a young firefighter's training to prepare them for certification once they turn 18, almost like an internship or apprentice program. We allow juniors to assist at the firehouse and in a support capacity at fire scenes. That doesn't mean they can't do anything at all. We depend on juniors to support the certified firefighters, whether it's shuttling equipment from the fire engine to where it's needed at the scene, setting up water supply, or helping to clean up after a fire so we are ready to respond to another call. Currently, 3 of our chiefs and 1 of our lieutenants started as junior firefighters. Over the years, many of our juniors have moved on to careers in public service, including 4 police officers, 3 paramedics, and 1 career firefighter. Some of the benefits of being a junior include: Learning about teamwork Learning about personal and group responsibility Functioning with a diverse group of people from all walks of life and age groups Starting preliminary training to prepare for firefighter certification Learning life skills such as CPR and using fire extinguishers Applying volunteer experience to school required senior projects Knowing that you have helped someone in their time of need and made a difference in their lives Additionally, college bound juniors may be able to gain a discount on room and board. Many colleges, particularly Pa state universities, are either covered by or close to volunteer fire stations with live in programs. These firehouses allow firefighters to live for free, in exchange for participating in firefighting activites. There are usually only limited positions and most departments will give preference to students with previous firefighting experience. This can add up to considerable savings for students and parents. We put a strong priority on school. We encourage juniors to be as active as they want, however we require them to submit copies of report cards to the officer in charge of the junior progam. Any student not maintaining acceptable grades will be suspended from all activites until they improve. We also do not let them carry pagers at school or respond to fire calls during school hours. We follow all state regulations with child labor and driving laws, prohibiting late night responses. Rest assured that junior firefighters are treated just as any other firefighter, but their safety is paramount. Junior firefighters are easily distinguishable with obvious markings, such as "safety orange" colored helmets. They are not permitted to be in any area that is considered dangerous, nor are they allowed to operate any heavy machinery such as chainsaws or hydraulic tools. If you are a student, or the parent of one, and interested in joining the fire department, please contact us at the email or phone number provided. Better yet, stop in. We have company training every monday night and are always available to give you a tour and discuss membership with you. We are always accepting applications for junior and adult members, and the rewards are worth the committment. |